(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a method of lasting shoes, using adhesive, from the toe to at least over the ball region thereof, wherein the toe and forepart region of the shoe is inwiped by means of a pair of wiper plates mounted for inwiping movement about a common pivot located at or adjacent the toe end of the shoe, and wherein the adhesive is applied partly by means of an imprinter plate which is pressed against the shoe bottom and partly by nozzles movable along opposite sides of the shoe.
(2) Prior Art
Such a method is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,411. In carrying out this method, the region to which adhesive is applied by the imprinter plate extends substantially co-extensively with the region inwiped by the pair of wiper plates. Furthermore, for any change of wiper plates, e.g., for changes in the style of the shoe or indeed in some circumstances for changes in size, it is considered necessary to change also the imprinter plate in order to ensure that the wiper plates properly co-operate with the imprinter plate, and for example to avoid any risk of collision as the wiper plates move into engagement with the shoe. This is especially desirable, but not exclusively so, where the wiper plates are first brought into an intermediate position, while the insole continues to be pressed against the last bottom, as described e.g., in our U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,691.
It is, however, generally the case that the toes of shoes fall within a relatively small number of what may be termed "generic" styles, e.g., rounded pointed, square. What is more, in most cases within each generic style, the toe region, i.e., the region closely adjacent the toe end of the shoe end extending only a relatively short distance therefrom, does not vary significantly between individual styles.